Matt Terry has said he's "no longer afraid" after coming out as a gay man and speaking about his sexuality publicly for the first time.
The X Factor champion, who won the 13th series of the defunct ITV series, admitted in a new interview that speculation over his sexuality and societal pressures forced him to hide his romance with a man secret when he first rose to fame almost a decade ago.
The 30-year-old singer from Bromley came out on top in ITV's popular talent show in 2016, beating Saara Aalto to win the title. During the competition, Matt kept his relationship with a man secret, choosing to keep parts of his personal life private amid intense interest in his romantic relationships.
Now, Matt aims to share his story through his music, especially in his latest song 'His Car'. In this track, he apologises for not being open about his sexuality. Speaking to Gay Times, Matt confessed the struggle he felt hiding his sexuality and declared: "I'm very proud [of my sexuality], and I'm no longer afraid."
He described his new tune as "the only song I've struggled to record" because of its deep personal significance. "That's my story. That's my truth. And it's one of the most important stories I'm going to tell," he told the publication. "I've been hiding who I was, and I haven't really opened up. I've never let anybody in. This song is an apology to the first man I fell in love with because I asked a lot of him."
Matt, who took a brief hiatus from the music industry, added to the publication: "I said to him, 'You're not allowed to tell anyone about this' and he loved me enough to do so. Six, seven, years later, I realise that's not something we should be doing, and it's not something you should ask somebody."
Matt, who shot to fame after winning The X Factor, has previously opened up about the struggles he faced in the music industry, including feeling pressured to fit in and not receiving enough support from his team. He honestly said: "There was no duty of care from anyone."
He told The Sun last year: "I did win, which was incredible and it changed my life, and I truly live by everything happening because it's supposed to. But I feel like it was a dark time afterwards. I don't think I was supported, no one checked on me, no one saw if I was OK. I'm just done with sugar coating everything. You have to tell the truth and I feel like I was really disappointed in myself for quite a few years, feeling like I f***ed it, that I didn't do it right. But now, looking back, I'm like, no, I didn't. I killed it, considering the knowledge I had."
During his journey towards self-acceptance, Matt went through a period of self-reflection and discovery. He told Gay Times: "This is me taking back control. I love the human I've discovered in myself, and I hope I can do the same for other people." Now, with the support of his partner and family, Matt added: "I live now with an open mind and open heart, and I feel like we should all live by the statement that we all say: love is love."
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